


Yellow

by CatchyArtz, desolationofzara



Category: DCU
Genre: M/M, Roleplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 10:16:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchyArtz/pseuds/CatchyArtz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/desolationofzara/pseuds/desolationofzara
Summary: An AU of an AU that no one probably cares about lmao





	1. Yellow for Fear

**Author's Note:**

> Catchy as Damian  
> Zara as Amir
> 
> Both as Jon

Damian sat alone at the top of Gotham Tower, legs dangling over the edge as he watched the city. There’s an emptiness in his heart; a hole that’s growing every day because Jon doesn’t love him. Jon loves the space prince that fell from the sky less than six months ago and Damian is frustrated with himself for being such a baby about it. He fights desperately to forget- to let his feelings blow away with the autumn wind that had nothing to do with the chill in his bones.

Amir flew above the smog over the city known as Gotham.

_Now if I was a brooding baby bat brat, where would I hide? ___

__Amir descended to a tower that stood out from amongst the rest. It was old and dark, it stood out as a stark contrast against the newer high tech towers that surrounded it. Gargoyles lined the top and from there, Amir spotted a black and yellow cape flowing in the cool breeze.  
Heartbreak and loneliness were rolling off of him in _waves_._ _

__Amir tried not to roll his eyes as he descended in front of him._ _

__"Hello, Damian," Amir chirped, he used his best smile. The one that subjugated his entire kingdom. The smile that Jon fell in love with. The one that made anyone instantly trust him._ _

__Anyone besides Damian Wayne._ _

__And it was really starting to piss Amir off._ _

__"Hello," Damian replied, hardly glancing back at Amir as he flew down beside him. During his glance, he catches a glimpse of Amir's disgusting smile that lacked any subtlety and seemed entirely too forced. The very sight made his stomach roll uncomfortably._ _

__He forces himself to swallow down the discomfort and glares down at the cars below. "Why are you here?"_ _

__Now, Amir considered himself a patient prince. A loving prince._ _

__But this humans indifference?_ _

__Oh it made his blood boil._ _

__Amir feigned nonchalance, "I was actually hoping we could talk. One prince to another." He chuckled._ _

__As if this weakling could _ever_ be on his level._ _

__Damian made the mistake of not looking back._ _

__"Sure."_ _

__Amir's temper flared. A white hot fury ran through his veins.  
He grabbed Damian by hood of his costume and slammed his head into the concrete gargoyle, slightly cracking the stone. _ _

__"Guess we do it the hard way then." Amir sneered as he lifted the dead weight over his shoulder and flew off into the night._ _

__~ 0 ~_ _

__Damian woke slowly with a pounding head._ _

__... _What the_ hell _happened?__ _

__He remembered sitting alone, then talking with Amir, then... nothing. But that didn’t make any sense. Unless..._ _

__Damian’s eyes snapped open, head rising to take in his surroundings. Amir was on the other side of the small room, watching him with those unsettling yellow eyes. Damian is subconsciously aware that he’s chained to the wall, the cold metal cutting into his wrists uncomfortably._ _

__“What is this?” he snarls._ _

__"Aren't you the World's Best Detectives son? You tell me." Amir grinned at the boy who was struggling against his chains.  
_Like a caged bird__ _

__Amir dragged a chair in front of Damian and sat, crossing his legs and holding his head high._ _

__“I _knew_ it,” Damian says, feeling victorious despite the situation. “I _knew_ there was something off about you.”_ _

__Amir rolled his eyes.  
"You believe that about everyone who isn't Jon. But yes. I _suppose_ your hunch was correct. But I do need to ask you something, Damian. I didn't get you all knocked out and chained to the wall for nothing."_ _

__"Unless" Amir drawled, "you like that." He finished with a wink._ _

__Damian wants to puke at that last statement, and that wink didn’t help his nausea at all. He manages to keep a straight face._ _

__“ _What?_ ” he asks, urging Amir to share his question and completely ignoring his... unrelated remark._ _

__Amir laughed and he could hear the bell like sounds bounce around the dullness of the lead room they were in._ _

__"Such a mean little emotional response! Don't worry little bird, the question is unrelated to sex. I just want to know what's going on in that head of yours." Amir grinned getting into Damian's personal space and jabbing his index finger into his temple._ _

__"What is it about you that Jon is so _fixated_ on? What is it about you that makes you _so_ special? Fair warning, if you say it's because you're Batman's son, I'll break your nose."  
Amir smirked, sitting back into his chair._ _

__“How should I know?” Damian grumbles, turning his head sharply away from Amir’s touch. “If you wanted to know what Jon thought you should’ve kidnapped him.”_ _

__Amir exhaled sharply through his nostrils. The little bird was getting on his nerves. But if he must poke and prod to get what he must, he _will_. _ _

__Amir focused on Damian's emotions, as he responded._ _

__"I already _know_ what Jon thinks. I'm his _boyfriend_ , remember?" He gloats._ _

__A pang of bitterness hits Damian, but he smothers it quickly. “Of course.”_ _

__Amir feels his smile stretch his face.  
_There it is_._ _

__"Ahhh." Amir drawled, strolling over to Damian. "So you _love_ him, is that it? You try and show off, compliment him to show him you care, but mask it enough to stay safe."_ _

__This was, by no means, news to Amir. He felt jealousy and anger rolling off of the teen the day he met him on this stupid floating rock.  
But he needed that anger now. _ _

__"Still doesn't show me how you're different than any other pathetic pining human." Amir hummed, turning away from the boy._ _

__"What is it about you, Damian? Is it your past?" Amir toyed._ _

__Amir knew everything about Damian’s past through Jon._ _

__Jon would talk about how much Damian has overcome. His trials in whatever the hell the league of assassins is. How he used to be a mindless killing machine, but now he's Robin. How he's always striving to be better. How he's been so nice these past month Amir was away._ _

___Blah.  
Blah.  
Blah._

___Damian.  
Damian.  
Damian._

__If Amir actually felt anything for the starry eyed super child, he would have just dumped him then and there. He was _clearly_ in love with him. But amir needed Jon's strength, and his unconditional love. And he needed Damian out of Jon's life if he was _ever_ going to get it._ _

__Damian narrows his eyes at Amir’s reaction to his emotions. He’s playing at something. Trying to draw some kind of emotion out of him. It won’t work._ _

__But when Amir mentions his past, Damian freezes. He knows. How much does he know? _How_ does he know? Probably from Jon. _Stupid, naive, trusting Jon-__ _

__“You already know I love him,” Damian says evenly. “And I’m not sure why that’s important. He loves _you_ anyways. You have nothing to worry about.”_ _

__"Oh Damian," Amir sighs, "I have lots to worry about. Jon might _love_ me, but as long as you're around, he won't _submit_ to me. But enough about Jon. Let's talk about you. Tell me about your past."_ _

__Damian was good at hiding his emotions, Amir will give him that. But Amir _always_ gets what he wants._ _

__Amir picked up on the surge of anger that came from the bottom of Damian's gut when he mentioned Jon submitting to him._ _

___Time to pounce._ _ _

__“ _Uh, no,_ ” Damian scoffs. “What makes you think I’ll just tell you what you want me to?”_ _

__"Because if you don't, I'll kill Jon." Amir says nonchalantly, examining his nails._ _

__Damian feels his blood boil at that. He forces down his pride and speaks. “... I was raised with a group of people. They taught me to kill. Batman found me, and I don’t anymore.” He looks up at Amir with all the pent up anger he had. “The end.”_ _

___Amir's grin spreads as he cocks his head, still not looking at Damian in the eyes.  
Damian's anger rolled off of him in waves that filled Amir in a way that was almost euphoric.  
_Just one more push__

__"Now you don't. Hm. Not even the urge? You've never wanted to run someone through with your sword? Feel the power you have over them?"_ _

__“Right now I might,” Damian growls, glaring daggers at Amir._ _

____There it is._  
Amir uncrosses his legs and strolls over and gets into Damian's face.  
"Big talk. You wouldn't do it though." He goaded. There was a fire behind his white lensed eyes._

__“Why don’t you unchain me from this wall and test that theory?” Damian taunts, eager to hit _something_._ _

___Pure, unadulterated, fury pulsed off of Damian._  
_Stupid boy._  
Amir placed his hand in Damian's chest and tapped into that rage.  
"Let's see what memories are associated with all that beautiful fury."  
Amir smiled, pushing into Damian's head. 

__Damian makes a strangled noise as Amir forces his way to his thoughts and memories, sudden panic overriding his senses. _Since when could he do_ that?!_ _

__He doesn’t have any time to figure that out as Amir gets closer and closer to seeing inside his head. Damian fights to keep his mind private, but Amir had more experience with... whatever this was._ _

___Amir felt Damian try to put up mental walls against him.  
Amir rolled his eyes.  
_Please, child.__

__He pushed deeper and saw a young boy, drenched in blood. A sword 3 times bigger than him, screaming as he ran through several grown men. His breathing was labored._ _

__"You look like a rabid dog. Well. Rabid puppy. Let's see if we can bring him back." Amir grinned, yanking the memory to the front of Damian's head, making him relive it._ _

__Damian's emotions we're drowned in rage and fury._ _

__Damian is helpless against the rage that takes over his mind. It swarms into every corner of his brain and latches on with absolute determination, all logic being thrown out the window in favor of harboring the intense anger._ _

__Damian is yanking on the chains now, the force of each pull rubbing his wrists raw. He yells, eyes blazing with bitter hatred._ _

__Amir steps back and watches Damian practically foam at the mouth._ _

__"And here I thought you would put up more of a fight." Amir laughs as Damian snarls.  
"Now, let's try and calm you down."_ _

__He sends out waves of calming energies, putting his hand on Damian's forehead._ _

__Damian's anger and hatred clash violently against Amir’s calming aura._ _

__"Alright, you little brat. I get it. You've got anger issues. It's of no use to me if I can't control you." Amir snarls, pushing the calming vibes further into Damian's head._ _

__Amir sends visions of Jon's bright smile and painting the sunset into Damian's head and he calms significantly._ _

__As soon as Amir puts the image of Jon in his head, something in Damian snaps. The fury becomes a little less overwhelming, so he attempts to direct all his anger towards Amir, and uses that to figuratively shove him away from his head._ _

__Amir was caught by surprise as he was mentally shoved out of Damian's head. Amir snarled._ _

___How dare he._ _ _

__He let his temper get the best of him as he slammed Damian's head into the wall._ _

__"I'm not prone to violence, but do that again and you will regret it," Amir warned in a low tone._ _

__He stepped away and saw a purple bruise blooming against the teens head._ _

__Damian hisses as his head is slammed into the wall, pain erupting from the spot that was hit. He snarls as Amir presses in again, guarding his mind more fiercely. He imagines high, steel walls around his head and keeps them there even as Amir slams against them violently._ _

__Amir felt Damian resisting him and had to chuckle._ _

__"You're doing a good job, Damian."_ _

__Amir sent a mental image of Jon choking on his own blood._ _

__Damian's walls went down immediately as cold fear washed over him._ _

__Amir leaned over and whispered in Damian's ear, "Be a good boy, or else that's what will happen to Jon."_ _

__Amir’s low voice in his ear sends chills down Damian’s spine, but he keeps his head high. “You wouldn’t. You need him to complete whatever sick plan you have.”_ _

__"Do I? Maybe I don't need him. Maybe I just need _him_ to get to _you_. "  
Amir laughs._ _

___Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ _ _

__Now it’s Damian’s turn to chuckle. “You mentioned earlier how you needed Jon to submit to you.”_ _

__Amir snapped away from Damian as if he was a hot stove._ _

___SHIT._ _ _

___Ha. Who’s laughing now, bastard?_ _ _

__“You lose,” Damian says with a shit-eating grin._ _

__"Yeah. Says the one in the chains." Amir snaps, pressing his hand against his throat, slamming his head back._ _

__"Now. I either get into your head the easy way, or I can beat you senseless until you give me what I want." Amir snarls, squeezing harder._ _

__Damian jerks as Amir constricts his windpipe, unable to do anything other than ineffectively gasp for air. He glares at Amir and manages to get out a strangled, “Fuck you.”_ _

__"Just remember that you could have done this the easy way." Amir grins widely._ _

__Amir punched Damian multiple times. He punched Damian so hard, the teen was starting to bleed. Hell, Amir hit him so hard that he thought he saw his ring indented into Damian's cheek._ _

__Amir forces his mind into Damian's. But this time, he let's his own memories flood Damians senses._ _

__Jon was laying across from Amir in his bed, his torso was naked as his face was flushed the prettiest pink. His black hair was a mess from... activities that took place and his eyes sparkled so brightly, diamonds would be jealous._ _

___"I love you, Starlight," Jon panted._  
"You're just saying that cause I made you c-" Amir laughed.  
"No! It's not that! I.... Really... I've never felt like this about _anyone_." Jon smiled.  
"Anyone?" Amir prodded.  
"No. Never. Well. I mean my parents. But they're my parents. But, Amir, you.... I really do love you," Jon babbled. 

__Amir cut his memory off and observed Damian, still squeezing at his throat._ _

__"Did that _hurt_ little bird? Does it _ache_ that he never even _mentioned_ you? Do you even think you're _worth_ his love?"_ _

___Don't let him get to you, don't let him get to you,_ Damian repeats like a mantra in his mind. But this isn't mind games. This is cold, hard facts. _Memories._ Jon didn't love him. He didn't even pause to consider- _Stop that,_ Damian scolds himself. _This isn't about you. This is about Jon. You can't let Amir have Jon in a charade of love for the rest of his life.__ _

__Damian guard lowered for a fraction of a second, before they came back up._ _

__That was all that Amir needed._ _

__He brought every horrible thought and memory Damian had about Jon to the front of his mind._ _

__"Are you even _worth_ his love Damian? With everything you _did_ , everything you _said_..." Amir trails off, faking hurt. _ _

__"At least with me, Jon _loves_ me. He's _happy_ with me. You get rid of me, Jon's happiness goes too. And then you've _ruined_ him. You've made him _just like you_. Hurt. Angry. Heartbroken. The feeling of being unwanted. Would you do that to him?"_ _

__Damian chokes, and not only because of the hand still at his throat. He fights to listen to reason, but that's becoming increasingly difficult with his memories and thoughts about Jon constantly being brought to the front of his mind._ _

___No no no no no, keep fighting! Don't let him win!_ _ _

__Damian is so caught up with the mind battle that he doesn't notice his vision going black around the edges until his mind starts going too, suddenly jerked back into reality._ _

___No! Amir's going to get in your head again. You can't...._ Damian's thoughts fall away as he puts all his energy into trying to _stay awake, dammit.__ _

___Let me in let me in let me in,_ Amir chanted, Damian's head lolling to the side in his hands._ _

__"Just do everyone a favor. More importantly, do Jon a favor." Amir whispered into Damian’s ear, his mind opening up to him. He just needs him to push more so that he can play Damian like a marionette._ _

__"Just get Jon out of your life. If anything, you _owe_ it to him. You're a black mark on his perfect reputation. You're nothing but negative to his positive. I can help you do it. Help you let go of him. I can even erase your memories of him."_ _

__There's a heavy fog over Damian's mind now. So thick, even he couldn't navigate it. Damian jerks weakly in Amir's grip when he mentions erasing all his memories of Jon. The sunshine boy. The most important person in Damian's life. _No...__ _

__"No? But Damian. He doesn't love you. Don't you want to let go? Leave him be? Aren't you just being selfish at this point? Forcing your clearly unwanted presence into Jon’s life?"  
Amir said, tone taking one of a disappointed mother._ _

__Selfish. He's not being selfish. Is he?_ _

__Unwanted. Damian has known all his life what it feels like to be unwanted. These past few months Jon has spent with Amir caused those feelings of worthlessness to resurface._ _

___Maybe he would be better off without me..._ _ _

__"He will be better off without you. But I'll ease the pain," Amir soothed, watching Damian's eyes close.  
_Oh the wonders of what heart break can do.__ _

__Damian’s mind was open and malleable and Amir could do _anything he wanted_ with it. _ _

__Amir almost giggled as he put his hands on the sides of Damian's head._ _

__"You'll be okay, Damian." Amir soothed.  
_No you won't.__ _

__Just as Amir started to get into Damian's head, the ceiling busted open._ _

___Fuck._ _ _

__Jon smashes in through the ceiling of the lead compound, landing powerfully in the center of it._ _

__“Amir!! What-“ Jon stares at his boyfriend and beaten-to-a-pulp best friend, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”_ _

__"Sunshine!" Amir cries, wrapping his arms around Jon._ _

__"Damian and I were on a mission, these people snuck up behind me and I don't know what happened, but the next thing I know is Robin wasn't with me! And I found him here! I was trying to find out who did this by going into his head." Amir lied easily._ _

__“Oh.”_ _

__Jon pushes Amir away gently and looks him up and down worriedly. He sucks in a breath when he sees his fists. “Why are your knuckles bloody?”_ _

__"I didn't get to Damian by asking _nicely_ my love." Amir laughs_ _

__“You’d never hurt him,” Jon says warily. “You’d never hurt any of my friends.”_ _

__"Of _course_ not! Why would I ever want to harm the people who love you as I do?" Amir smiled, stroking Jon's cheek with his thumb._ _

__Jon really wants to believe Amir, but when he looks behind him at Damian, something in his gut boils. There’s a print on his cheek. It almost looks like..._ _

__Jon pushes past Amir almost harshly and stares at the mark. It’s Amir’s ring symbol. He whips around, eyes glowing red._ _

__“Explain that.”_ _

__Jon's eyes were glowing as he pointed to the ring imprint Damian has on his cheek._ _

__Amir began to panic. _Think of something! Think of something!__ _

__"Jon, you can't honestly believe that i'd _do_ something like this! Especially to Damian! He's practically my best friend too!"_ _

__“Get out,” Jon demands, eyes now _blazing_. “You have five seconds.”_ _

__"But! Jon!" Amir pleads. And this time, it's _real. _He can feel his throne being ripped from his hands, everyone in his kingdom mocking the runt of the litter, the tiny prince.___ _

____Amir refuses to go back without his token prize._ _ _ _

____"Please." He pleads with big yellow eyes._ _ _ _

____Jon almost falls for those sparkling eyes. The same eyes he fell in love with. But now, they look empty and devoid of anything other than _deceit_._ _ _ _

____“Get. Out.”_ _ _ _

____Amir yelps as Jon's fist goes through the wall, and zooms off into space._ _ _ _

____He gets to an abandoned nebula and _screams_._ _ _ _

____Damn Damian Wayne. He can't go back home. Not until he has someone that the Venzaldians look up to. Someone strong.  
But Damian just _had_ to love Superman's son! He just couldn't let it go! Now it's costing Amir _everything!__ _ _ _

_____Damian will pay for this. One day soon. But for now. I must find someone stronger than Jon,_ Amir thinks, his hatred and anger barreling him into the darkest parts of the galaxy._ _ _ _

____Jon glares at the violet glow of Amir shooting off into space until he’s no longer visible, then turns back to Damian. He did not look good at all. Everywhere Amir had hit him was now turning a sickly purple, and he appeared to be unconscious._ _ _ _

____“What did he do to you, Dami?” Jon whispers, getting him down from the metal chains with his heat vision. Jon catches the Robin as he slumps forward, then picks him up bridal style and flies him into the sky._ _ _ _

____~ 0 ~_ _ _ _

____Damian wakes in Jon’s arms, cold wind whipping past them. He shivers slightly and leans into Jon’s warmth._ _ _ _

____Jon looks down at his bruised and battered friend. His lip is busted and there were cuts and bruises lining his face.  
_God, this is all his_ fault. Jon felt Damian shiver and shift, and cradled him closer to his body._ _ _ _

____"I'm so so so sorry Damian. I'm so sorry. But hang on, we're almost at your house. God, I'm _so_ sorry," Jon whispered._ _ _ _

____Damian doesn’t reply, worried that if he speaks his voice will break. He buries his face further into Jon’s uniform instead, focusing on evening out his shaky breathing._ _ _ _

____Damian still in his arms, breathing deeply. Jon uses the guilt that's stirring in his stomach to fly faster, trying not to wake him._ _ _ _

____After what felt like an eternity, Jon reaches the manor, softly landing on the balcony of Damian's room._ _ _ _

____"Hey," Jon says softly, looking down at his friend. He really wish he didn't; Damian's face was buried in his chest and Jon could see all the cuts on the side of his face in complete clarity. Especially Amir's ring indention._ _ _ _

____Jon swallowed the lump in his throat, and forced his eyes not to water._ _ _ _

____Damian looks up at Jon, his heart breaking. He shifts his legs a little, and Jon sets him down gently on the ground._ _ _ _

____“Thank you,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. He turns to retreat into his room hurriedly._ _ _ _

____Jon catches Damian's arm quickly. Damian stops but he doesn't turn to face him._ _ _ _

____"Damian, what happened? Please.... I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was... I'm so so so sorry." Jon said to Damian's cape._ _ _ _

____“It’s okay,” Damian says, barely looking back. When he does, he can only look at Jon’s red sneakers. “I’m sorry for ruining your relationship.”_ _ _ _

____Jon heart broke into a million pieces. He surged forward and hugged Damian tightly._ _ _ _

____"No. No no no. You didn't ruin anything. I was just stupid. I was too trusting. I didn't see through him. You didn't do anything wrong Damian. I'm just sad that you were the one getting hurt because of me."_ _ _ _

____“You love him,” Damian says, arms hanging limply at his sides even when Jon moves to hug him. “And now he’s gone.”_ _ _ _

____" _Loved_ him. I don't anymore. Especially after what he _did_ to you. I can never love anyone that would willingly hurt _anyone_ I care about." Jon declared, a fire burning in his chest as he pulled Damian closer. _ _ _ _

____He hoped that his hug would expel all the demons and darkness that Amir subjugated Damian to. That it would wash away all the wrongs that Damian had to see or relive. And maybe it would quiet some of Jon's guilt._ _ _ _

____He doubted the last part._ _ _ _

____Damian blinks away the tears beginning to form in his eyes. He lets himself be hugged, and after a while returns the embrace, arms ghosting around Jon’s back. He doesn’t feel any better and doesn’t know what to say, so he pulls away after a few moments in silence._ _ _ _

____“Thank you for bringing me back home,” he says curtly, just wanting some time to himself._ _ _ _

____He turns and walks into his room, shutting the balcony door behind him gently._ _ _ _

____"It's all part of the superhero gig!" Jon jokes to Damian's back, but Damian only closes his door._ _ _ _

____Jon felt his lip start to wobble as he jumps into the sky._ _ _ _

____Jon sobs while he flies home.  
_How could he be_ so _stupid?!__ _ _ _

_____Amir was feeding him likes from the start and he fell for it! Worst of all, Damian got hurt for it! Damian even_ warned _him that something was up with Amir and he just IGNORED it! What kind of best friend_ does _that?!__ _ _ _

_____Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ repeated in Jon's head until he snuck into the window of his own room. _ _ _ _

____Jon quickly sought out Krypto and curled into him, crying into his fur._ _ _ _


	2. Yellow for Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catchy as Amir  
> Zara as Nazar
> 
> [Villain Amir art gallery](https://photos.app.goo.gl/wcvVZU4B2WOWvLJu1)   
>  [Nazar art gallery](https://photos.app.goo.gl/2pxfre8WfyADRwak2)

Amir lands on a dark planet with many dense cities, every street oozing with dreariness and darkness.

_Fuck. In hindsight this might not have been the best idea..._

The glowing Valzadian looks around tentatively. It’s so dark Amir can barely see a few feet in front of him, but his glow-in-the-dark markings expand his view a little bit. He could see a dull light at the end of whatever street he was on, so he starts walking toward it briskly. It’s just a small improvement from where he was before, but at least he could see a few more feet ahead of him at a time.

There’s a tingly feeling at his back. It almost feels like the darkness itself is watching him. _Typical_ , he supposes. _All species have some fear of the dark._

He speeds up his walking nervously, not really knowing where to go.

Nazar drew up his hood and perched on top of a building he was about to break into. Word on the street was that there were hidden jewels there, but he doubted it. Who in their right mind would hide jewels in the Mafia infested part of town? But there was no harm to take a peek.

Nazar scanned the area for possible guards or security, listening closely for footsteps. There were small footsteps, quiet, unsure. Almost like a scared childs. Nazar looked up and saw something _glowing_.  
It was a boy. Maybe around his age, maybe younger.  
But he was _glowing_. He was brighter than any candle hes ever seen, but not as strong and jarring as sunlight.  
_Moonlight. He matches the glow of moonlight_

Nazar couldn't look away from the bright haired boy with the glowing tattoos, he was..... well.... he certainly drew attention! He kept fiddling with a ring around his finger anxiously, walking to the light of the bars.  
The bars that are full of gangsters that will kill you if you look in their direction.  
Or if you dont give them what they want. 

Nazar silently cursed and trotted after the glowing boy, following him from the abundance of shadows that blanketed his movements.

Amir looks around for the umpteenth time, bewildered. The absence of life was extremely nerve-wracking. He could hear sounds from the buildings emitting low light, but other than that everything looked dead and empty.

He enters one of the buildings, deciding that being in a place with lots of people would be better then being in a place with no people at all.

The sight is... unruly to say the least. All the people gathered there were dark in color (making Amir stand out even more), and most of them wore outfits that concealed most of their bodies. Most of them were also drinking or expressing intimacy with people Amir assumed they had just met.

He exits after a few seconds of witnessing this, and walks away briskly.

_Is there any place on this damn planet that isn’t terrifying??_

Nazar landed on the roof of the bar across from the glowing boy. 

_Not a good idea._

Whoever this foreigner was, he must've thought it too. He exited quickly and started to walk away. 

Nazar watched him leave, about to follow him. But something caught his attention.  
Footsteps.  
Not as trained as his, but trained enough to get the job done.  
About 5 or 6 people.

Nazar held his breath and waited for one of them to slip up, for them to show themselves.

After Amir is well away from the bar, he slows. _Maybe I should just ditch this place,_ Amir considers bitterly.

He takes off, but something grabs his ankle and drags him back down before he’s even a foot off the ground. Amir whips around and forms a forcefield around his front instantly, blocking a punch aimed at his head. There’s a few thugs in front of him. He manages to fight them back, stumbling deeper into the alley. _Not good not good not good,_ he repeats in his mind, trying to find an opening to dart out from.

Before he can pinpoint one, a couple more of them Amir hadn’t seen before grab him from the back, immobilizing his arms. He yelps, kicking at the ones in front ineffectively.

Amir can feel his ring being slipped off his finger and yells louder, trying to throw them off by forming claws to drag the thugs off him. The light constructs disappear as his ring is slipped completely off and pocketed.

“No!” Amir snarls, fighting back harder.

Nazar watched as the wannabe thieves placed themselves in position. A few to the front of the glowing boy, more to the back.  
The glowing boy began to fly off.  
_well, at least he's got_ some _kind of intuition_

A taller thief went and grabbed his ankle and forced him back down.  
Purple light illuminates the whole block. 

_Powers. He's got powers._ Nazar watched him with wide eyes as he tried to fight his attackers, only to get lured into the others.  
They grabbed his arms and took that pretty glowing ring off his pretty slender fingers.  
The bright lights shuts off when the ring is slipped off from his finger. 

"NO!" The boy hollered, fighting back with ferocity.  
Truth be told, the kid couldn't fight. Not without the ring that gave him powers. 

"Well aren't you a pretty thing?" One of the attackers purred against the struggling boy, brushing his glowing markings with the pads of his fat fingers.

Nazar exhaled sharply through his nose and dropped in front of him, promptly knocking him out with his elbow. He knocked two of the attackers heads together, the ones that were still holding the boy.

The one that pocketed the ring began to sprint away. Nazar quickly removed a dagger and his whip.

He threw his dagger, but it missed its mark and lodged itself in his shoulder. 

Nazar huffed in annoyance and wrapped his whip around his ankle as he fell to ground. He sprinted over to the attacker who got up quickly and ran off into the darkness. He huffed in annoyance again, but found a shiny small object in the dirt.

_Bingo._

Amir falls backwards on his butt as he’s thrown from his assailants, landing with an *oof*. He watches in stunned silence as the creature who saved him scares off the rest of the thugs, and stands abruptly when they look back towards him. Their glowing eyes are unsettling, but Amir thinks he should thank them nonetheless.

“Thank you,” he says.

Nazar pockets the ring. 

"Thank you." A small voice says.  
Wait. Was that a _voice?_ Or was that _music?_

Nazar slowly turned. The glowing boy was dusting off his clothes and looking down at his boots.

"You're.... uh.... you're welcome." Nazar manages out. Suddenly very aware of his tattered clothes.  
"Are you.... alright?"

 _Good job Nazar. You sounded_ REALLY _intelligent_. Nazar chided himself. He was met with the brightest golden eyes he's ever met in his entire life. Nazar felt the air leave his lungs, like the yellow haired boy punched him in the gut.

Amir smiles to himself, endeared by the creature’s stammering.

“I’m fine, thanks to you,” Amir says, straightening up after he’s done brushing himself off. He tilts his head at his savior, trying to see under his hood. It’s no use, so Amir gives up after a little. “I don’t suppose you know where they could have taken my ring?”

Nazar struggles to correct his breathing when he smiles at him.

"I have an idea. You do know you're on a notorious thieving planet, don't you?" Nazar answered, frowning at the bright boy trying to peek under his hood.

“Nope,” Amir says, popping the p. “Do you think you lead me to the place? If it’s not too much trouble.”

"How do you not know which planet you land on?" Nazar asked, rolling his eyes starting to walk away from the glowing boy. 

"I can take you to the place but we need to make a pitstop."

“A pitstop?” Amir inquires, trailing after Nazar. He tries to stay as close as possible without making it seem like he was helpless. He did _not_ want to get snatched up again.

The Golden boy was practically pressed against his arm as they walked.  
"Yes. We have to find you something to wear. We can't walk into the place with you alerting the whole block of our location, now can we?" Nazar chuckled.

Amir hums in hesitant agreement, eyeing their surroundings skittishly. _Why do I trust this creature so easily?_ Amir finds himself wondering. _I am literally following him who knows where to do who knows what. He could be lying for all I know!_ The space prince looks down at his empty hand. _I need him to get my ring back. Perhaps if I can control him, he won’t be able to betray me._

“My name is Amir. What is yours?” Amir asks, voice light as a feather.

The Golden-Boy-Amir's musical voice became very soft. Nazar glanced down at him and he blinked up with full thick lashes.  
Amir was trying to play up his features, try and get him to lower his guard to get something.  
Nazar played with the ring in his pocket. 

"You know if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you. So you can cut your act." Nazar grit out.  
"And my name is Nazar."

“Hrn,” Amir grumbles, turning his head to stare at the ground. _Thank goodness- an intelligent lifeform for once._

 _Nazar._ After a few brief moments of contemplation, Amir decides he likes the name. “So, _Nazar._ Is your planet always like this?”

 _The hell kinda question is that?_  
"Uhhhhhhhh I guess?" Nazar replied, glancing around to make sure no one was following them. 

"What's your home planet like?" He asked, closing a gate behind the _still_ glowing boy.  
"Can you turn off your.... Glow?"

“No. I cannot ‘turn off my glow,’” Amir says, half amused and half offended. “My planet is a lot... brighter than this, to say the least. We also don’t have shady figures hiding around every corner.”

Nazar was moving boxes out of Amir's way, who was just following him with his hands behind his back.  
"'Shady Creatures'? Jeez Amir, why don't you tell me what you really think about me." He joked.

Amir smirks at Nazar’s back. “I think you’re pretty sweet to be taking care of a stranger you just met.”

Nazar felt his face warm considerably and he pulled his hood down to cover his whole face.  
"I... Well.... Uh...." He stammered.  
"I'm not gonna let someone who doesn't know which planet they're on get jumped and leave them stranded. P-plus you don't really know how dangerous this place can be!"

"But don't let this nice guy thing fool you! I'm actually a badass!" Nazar declared, flinching when he realized how _lame_ it sounded leaving his mouth. He didn't _dare_ to turn around and look at the other boy. 

_Way to sound cool, moron._

Amir chuckles and steps forward so he’s right beside the taller boy. He gently takes his wrists in his hands and draws them away from his hood. “Whatever you say, ‘badass’.”

The first thing Nazar noticed was how _soft_ Amir's hands are. They're not calloused, or scarred from training or beating. They're hands that have been catered to. 

He cleared his throat and forced himself not to flinch away from the other boys touch, "Come on, we're almost there."

Amir continues to follow Nazar casually, humming to himself softly. He can’t help the grin that spreads across his face at Nazar’s flustered reaction.

 _I change my mind. This guy's an asshole. He's too pretty and he fucking knows it._ Nazar cursed internally, rounding a corner and resisting the urge to pull down his hood again.  
Nazar peeked his head under a curtain, but then snapped to Amir.  
"Err, just a warning. It's not much. But it's safe. And it's got the best view of the city."  
Nazar held the velvet curtain open for the golden boy to step through.

Amir enters what he presumed to be Nazar’s home. He was right- it certainly wasn’t much, but it was cozy. As cozy as a hideout in the middle of a dense city could be. It wasn’t very colorful, but it was interesting to look at. Trinkets were scattered about, along with stolen expensive items. There were blankets and other pieces of fabric strewn about all over the floors and drapping over the walls, except on one side. There, there was a small gap.

Amir looks back at Nazar as to say, “may I?”

Nazar shrugs his shoulders and turns away from Amir to rummage around in a chest that he stores for his clothes.

 _Jeez. I hope these things don't smell too awful. I'm pretty sure I washed them not too long ago? Oh well_

Nazar pulled out some jackets with his signature big hood. They might be a little too big for Amir, but it's what they have right now. They can loot the other thieves when they get there. 

Nazar glanced back and saw the flop of golden curls at the other side of the room and quickly pulled out the ring.  
It was a tiny thing. A purple color. Not as dark as his eye color, but more of a pinkish color.  
_This little thing packs that big of a punch?_ nazar threw it back into his pocket and gathered up his clothes.

Amir ducks his head as he peeks through the small gap in the fabrics, and looks with wide eyes at the city. It's a lot prettier from up high. Luminous lights are scattered about pitch black silhouettes of buildings, and everything is still and quiet. It would almost be peaceful if not for the aura of deviousness in the air.

"I told you the view was worth it," Nazar says behind Amir.

The Golden boy jumps and knocks his head against the cement.

Nazar laughed so hard his head tilted back and his hood fell from his face.

"Didn't mean to _scare_ you." Nazar drawled, holding out clothes for the smaller boy, who was rubbing the top of, his no doubt hurting, head.

Amir is frozen as Nazar’s hood falls off his head. He was _beautiful_. Nazar had eyes like Amir had never seen; one purple and one a silvery gray. He had a long scar along the left side of his face, starting at his jawline and going all the way above his cheek. His face was long and ended with a handsome chin. His ears were pointed like Amir’s, but were tattered and torn in a few spaces and a lot longer.

Amir is so distracted by Nazar’s face that he doesn’t make any move to take the clothes.

Nazar sighed exaggeratedly and threw the jacket around Amir's narrow shoulders.  
He rolled the sleeves up to his wrists and tied string to make sure it was secured to the shorter boy. He drew up the hood to cover Amir's face.

"There. Now we can go kick some ass." Nazar smirked.

A light blush dusts Amir’s cheeks pink, and he smirks up at Nazar. “Lead the way, handsome.”

Nazar sees Amir's plump pink lips warp into a wicked smirk, his stomach does a flip and his chest constricts.

"Lead the way, handsome," he purrs.

Nazar damn near faints. 

"Yeah! I'll just.... Do that.... It's uhh... The other way....." Nazar stutters and nervously laughs, fighting the very strong urge to haul _ass_ away from him. He draws up his hood and turns on his heel.

Amir follows Nazar, enjoying the way his new clothes flowed and swept behind him. They weren’t the prettiest, but the way they moved was definitely amusing.

“Mind telling me where we’re going and what the plan is?”

"You talk a lot. You know that?" Nazar whispered, glancing around a corner. 

"I recognized the person that attacked you. And I know his dumbass little _buddies_ like to stay in a certain part of town. So. We go in. Wait till they're drunk and fall asleep. Kill them and take their stuff. Oh and find your ring."  
Nazar said whiling scaling buildings.

“Hmm. Not scared of killing? I like that,” Amir says with a grin.

He tries his best to follow Nazar, managing just barely not to lose sight of the taller boy. They reach a rather large gap in between two buildings and Nazar leaps easily across. Amir bites his lip nervously but backs up and jumps anyways. He barely lands on the edge, but loses his balance and falls backwards. He yelps in alarm, arms flailing to grasp something that would catch him from falling.

Nazar pushes Amir's comment to the back of his head. And let the thrill of running across roofs and jumping into shadows spur him on.

Nazar hears a yelp and turns quickly to see amir almost falling to his death. Nazar cursed under his breath and grabbed the front of his jacket. He caught the golden haired boy in his arms, pulling him flush against his chest.

"I told you to let me know if I was going too fast!" Nazar hissed, still holding him with one arm, and pulling up his hood again with the other.

Amir can feel his heart racing from the fright of almost falling to his death, but also partly because he’s pressed so close against Nazar’s chest.

“Apologies. I suppose I am used to being able to take care of myself. I’m not much use without my ring,” Amir mutters, heart rate steadying slowly.

Nazar took a step back and smiled at Amir. "Well until you get it back your ring, we'll work on that." Nazar winks

Amir nods in agreement, letting go of Nazar’s cloak he just realized he was clutching so tightly.

 _That makes two times Nazar has saved my life in just a couple hours,_ Amir thinks to himself.

"It's just a little while further, then you can see me be a badass." Nazar laughed as he dropped onto another roof. 

The part that collided with the smaller boy still tingled and he felt _giggly._

_Jeez what's the matter with me.._

“I can’t wait,” Amir calls after him, chuckling. He falls behind Nazar once more, this time being a lot more careful. Thankfully, there’s not another accident the rest of the way there.

Both boys land on top of a building. Nazar puts a finger to his lips, and points down.  
"We're here." He mouths. 

Nazar crouches and moves without making a sound, poking his head through a window. 

Several of them were drunk and snoozing on the floor, others were giggling like school girls at each other.  
Nazar scanned more closely. Someone was slumped in a corner with bandages and his knife in his hand, examining it. 

_Shit. This is gonna be harder than I thought._

Nazar faces amir. "Stay on the roof. I'll open the window to let you in later."

“Okay,” Amir whispers, crouching love to the roof. He smiles at Nazar and gives him a thumbs up, realizing at the last second Nazar probably didn’t know what that meant.

Amir stuck his thumb up at him.  
_Is that a...... Whatever creature he is....... Thing? I'll ask later_

Nazar dropped down to the floor, landing soundlessly. He waited a breath.  
Two.  
Three.

Then he moved on, peeking his head around the corner. Nazar watched the man turn his knife in his hand, entranced by the shine and it's reflection.  
Nazar moved quickly and ducked behind the hair the man was sitting in.  
He must've heard him because he got up fast.  
"WHOS-" the man started to yell, but Nazar placed a well timed kick up in his groin. The heavier set man went down and he grabbed his knife and plunged it through his throat. 

"It's him!" Someone slurred  
"That scrawny little thing is Nazar?!" Another growled 

"Rude." Nazar smirked, the others were slowly starting to rouse.  
He loosened his whip and grabbed the drunk ones ankle and managed to tip him over. Nazar ran over and used his stomach as a spring board as he connected his knee with the other ones face. 

The taller one let out a slew of curse words. He waited for the other one to charge. But he didn't come and Nazar was suddenly lifted into the air, a hold crushing his lungs. His weapons were ripped from his hands. 

"So, little thief. Let's see how well you handle yourself without your little _toys._ "  
Nazar sucked in a breath waiting for the sting of the whip or the burn of his blade.  
But he heard an _oof_ and glass breaking instead.

Amir leaps down from the roof as soon as he sees Nazar is in trouble, grabbing a nearby glass and smashing it into the tall thug's head as hard as he could. Without waiting to see if it knocked him out, Amir picks up a long piece of glass and plunges it into the thug's stomach, satisfied with the scream that rips through his throat. Amir lets go of the makeshift dagger and sprints to Nazar.

"Are you okay?" Amir asks softly, looking into his multicolored eyes.

Nazar blinked a few times, "if that's useless without your ring, I don't want to be in your wrong side _with_ your ring."

Amir laughs, the sound ringing like bells across the room. "Hm, I'm flattered. And speaking of my ring, we should probably look for it."

Nazar rolled his shoulders, pretending to work a kink out, but he was really fighting back the shiver that rolled down his spine.  
"Feel free to look around." Nazar sighed, grabbing his weapons. 

He leisurely looked around the place for anything _they_ might need.

Amir lets his gaze linger on Nazar for a little before turning around, and sifting through the body of the man he had just killed. Well, almost. He was still bleeding out. Amir checks all his pockets thoroughly before moving onto the next one.

Amir's lingering gaze didn't unnerve him. He's stared down people way more intimidating than this small... Prince.  
_Prince. Suits him_.

He looked away, shifting through the pockets of a half dead man. 

"So. What's the big thing about this ring?" Nazar asked, pocketing a bag of gold coins.

“I’m kiiiind of an intergalactic officer of love. But not really. It’s a long story,” Amir says, checking in the shoes of the body he’s currently searching. It reeks and Amir recoils slightly.

Nazar laughed, a free and unique sound. "AN _INTERGALACTIC_ OFFICER OF _LOVE?!_ ARE YOU FREAKING _SERIOUS?!_ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Nazar wiped his tears and was met with a harsh glare.  
"Holy _fuck_ are you actually SERIOUS?! No freaking way. Officer of LOVE?! How do you go around spreading love?"

“I _don’t_. It was an act. Like I said, long story.” Amir huffs and moves to the next body.

Nazar kept snickering to himself.  
"Well _Officer Love_ let's find your ring then. Wait you said you don't? Are you like a Deputy then? Deputy Love! Reporting for duty!"  
Nazar let out another laugh. 

Something thunked off his head.  
"Ow! Hey! What was that?!" Nazar yelled.

”Shut the fuck up and look for my ring, jackass,” Amir mutters under his breath.

"I'm _really_ feeling the love here officer." Nazar chuckled, rubbing the spot where Amir hit him with a show of scary accuracy.

"if you're not really an officer of love, then why do you need the ring so bad?" Nazar asked, looking under the drunk men passed out on the ground.

“Can’t fight for myself without it, as you know doubt saw,” Amir says, abandoning his search in favor of looking at Nazar while they talk.

"You did pretty good without it," Nazar smirks at him from under his hood. 

"Anyways. I can't find it here, but maybe we can look for clues on who has it. You seem pretty desperate, so I think you'll agree with me. Unless you have a problem with that Officer Love~"

“The only thing I have a problem with is you calling me... _that_ ,” Amir says spitefully, not even wanting to utter the cringeworthy nickname.

Nazar bit his lip to fight back his snicker. "Yes. Of course. Check their boxes of wine to see where they got it from. I'm gonna go loot their food supply."

“I don’t know how!” Amir calls as Nazar walks off. He huffs and looks back at the boxes of wine, having no idea where to start.

Nazar was still snickering at his little nickname for Amir.  
Until something filtered through his thick head.  
"What do you mean you don't know how?! Just read the numbers on the box!" Nazar bickered back.

“How do numbers tell me where a box of produce is from??” Amir inquires, growing slightly exasperated.

"have you ever read a _map_ before?! They're coordinates! And wine is _produce!_ " Nazar replied in the same exasperation, walking over to the helpless boy, dragging a large bag of food behind him.

"I never needed to read a map," Amir admits.

"Never needed to- then how did you travel?! How did you get where you needed to be? I mean you couldn't have been _carted_ everywhere!" Nazar exclaims, not believing his ears.

Amir falls silent, a small smile spreading across his face.

Nazar scribbled down the numbers and walked over to the map, before doing a double take at Amir's sly smile.  
"What?" He asked

“Hm, nothing,” Amir says, still smiling to himself. “Let’s go!”

Nazar folded his arms and cocked his hip. "Where exactly are we going, Amir? Don't we still have to check out a map to find the location of where your ring might be?"

"Well, we can follow the coordinates on the wine boxes?" Amir suggests. He shrugs. "That sounds kind of silly now that I say it out loud, but it's our only lead, right?"

Nazar sighed and rolled his eyes, dragging their food and his feet to a rather large map of the city, gesturing for Amir to follow him. 

He readied multiple throwing knives that he still from one of the men.  
"We're here." Nazar said flicking his wrist and throwing it into the exact location they were in.  
"Your ring could be alllllllll the way over here." He flicks his wrist again and it lands on the other side of the city, where there are little pictures of water and boats. 

"That's a full days walk. Think you can handle it right now. Without having anything to eat or drink. And no place to sleep?" Nazar asked, glancing down at a paling Amir.

"On second thought... maybe we should rest for the night. I mean- if that's okay with you. I wouldn't want to stay with you longer than you're comfortable with," Amir says with his signature sweet smile directed at Nazar.

Nazar lowered his hood to make sure Amir's could see him rolling his eyes. 

"If I'm already helping you, I find it quite stupid to try and manipulate me with your smile. Come on then. Think you can manage to get back without killing yourself in the process?"

Amir pouts a little at Nazar's reaction. "I'm not trying to manipulate you! I just..." He sighs dramatically. "Yes, I can make it back fine, thank you very much."

"You're very welcome, now show me if you know what you're doing Little Prince." Nazar smirked, drawing up his hood and slinging the food over his shoulder.

Amir holds Nazar's challenging gaze stubbornly, bottom lip protruding slightly out. "Can't do that if you don't lead the way, _street rat_."

Nazar smirked and stepped around Amir, allowing him to trail wordlessly behind him. He tried to swallow down the bitterness of the nickname Amir chose for him.

_Street Rat._

Cause he couldn't be anything more than that if he tried. 

Nazar exhaled through his nose and quickly rounded a corner, not bothering to check if anyone's around. 

Nazar climbed and dropped from roof to roof quickly, till he was at the roof of his own place. He didn't have to wait very long to hear boots and next to his. 

"Good job on keeping up. You're adapting already." Nazar gave him a smile, but faced away quickly.

 _Shit, I hope he didn't see my teeth._ he cursed, dropping down to the entrance. And walking in.

Amir picks up on the pang of bitterness that comes from Nazar, but chooses not to address it. Nazar didn't seem like the type who'd appreciate his emotions being read. Instead, Amir trails behind Nazar and does his best to keep up, mimicking the way he moved soundlessly across the concrete of the city.

He catches the flash of Nazar's teeth as he smiles genuinely, and admires how sharp they are. The thief turns away before Amir can smile back, and they continue traversing the buildings and rooftops silently.

Nazar held the curtain open to his home for Amir, as he hurried inside. He exhaled through his nose and and held out his hands. He thought of a brick wall. A sturdy brick wall that has never faltered, even though the wear and tear of this building is obvious.

Nazar opens his eyes and the brick wall was there. Another night free from harm. Until he heard a voice that sounded as if it could be a top dollar symphony instead.

"How'd you do that?!"

Amir enters the building, and turns around to see Nazar holding out his hands with his eyes closed. Before Amir can ask what he’s doing, a brick wall materializes right in front of them, blocking the entrance to the compound. Amir stares at it with wide eyes.

“How’d you do that?!”

"Uhhhhhhhh it's just something I can kinda do?" Nazar shifted uncomfortably and dragged their stolen food to their kitchen in hope of escaping further questions from the bright eyed boy, who was no doubt trailing after him.

“Doesn’t really answer my question,” Amir says, following Nazar almost out of habit now. “...Can you do anything else?”

"not sure what you mean by that" nazar said flatly, pointedly avoiding him. He knew exactly the extent of his powers, but he didn't want to scare him off if he told Amir.

“C’monnnn,” Amir says with a smile. “You can tell me!”

"tell you what?" Nazar says, unable to fight his own grin. He couldn't help it. Amir's smile was contagious.

“Tell me how you do that!”

"I think really really really hard." Nazar smirks, handing amir a plate of food

“Aaand?” Amir asks as he takes the plate. Nazar doesn’t answer. “Tell me about your powers then! What can you do? How much can you create?”

"I can create anything I think up. Ive had them since I was 8 years old, I can make people see anything I want them to. Sometimes I can get into their heads, make new world's. Make them see anything I want." Nazar said bluntly before looking into Amir's golden eyes. But they didn't falter. If anything, they became brighter.

“That’s... amazing,” Amir says. “Really similar to what I can do, actually!”

Nazar choked on his food.  
"What?! Really?! Seriously?! With your ring?!" Nazar asked rapidly.

“Kind of! My kind are already empaths, and can feel other’s emotions. If we feel really strongly about something, other people nearby will too! My ring can help enhance my abilities so I can make others feel emotions even when I don’t feel them myself,” Amir explains as Nazar listens with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Thats- wow- that's amazing!!" Nazar beamed. "So you know what everyone's feeling? Or is it just with certain emotions? I can only really make illusions. Guess that depends with how I'm feeling. Like the wall outside, you can still get in, but everyone sees a wall. So I'm safe and happy. I can hide in plain sight when I need to. It's kinda convenient, now that I think about it." Nazar laughed and scratched the back of his head.

“ _Very_ convenient,” Amir agrees, taking a bite of his food. When he does, he remembers his forgotten hunger and scarfs down the rest in a couple minutes. He sets down the empty plate and grins. “Thank you, Nazar. For taking care of me. I really appreciate it.”

Nazar gives him a small smile. "Yeah no problem. I.. like having you around....."  
Amir snaps his head up at him and Nazar realizes he's said the wrong thing.  
"A-anyways! I'll take this and my beds over in the corner. It's kinda a lump. N-never really had time to steal a mattress or buy one at that!" He rambles, darting around his kitchen.

"I-i'll just.... Uh.... Be here if you need me!"

 _Seven Hells, how is he so_ bad _at this?!_

“And I like being around you,” Amir murmurs when Nazar moves far enough that he won’t hear him. He gets up and strides over to Nazar’s bed, scooting to the far edge of it and lying down to give Nazar at least a little space. The area is small- no doubt made by Nazar to only ever hold one person- but Amir is grateful. It was getting cold.

Nazar took off his jacket with his large hood and quietly made his way to blonde boy. He draped the warm material over his small frame and laid down on the floor. He's slept on much harder surfaces, his floor is a feather bed compared to some places he's been.

He would _like_ to sleep on his bed, to curl around the blonde haired boy he's met no longer than 8 hours ago.

 _Too soon. You're getting too attached._ he reminded himself, fishing the small ring out of his pocket. He ran his calloused thumb over the interesting design. There were also flakes of.... What is that? Blood?

Nazar smirked to himself. _Did someone get their face smashed in by Officer Love?_

He quickly pocketed it again when he heard amir stirring.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a while,” Amir nearly whispers.

Nazar turns and looks up, "why? Are you uncomfortable?"

“No no, not at all. I just... a lot has happened the past day. I guess my mind is just trying to catch up,” Amir says with a small reassuring smile.

"Care to share with the rest of the class? I mean, if it helps." Nazar smiled up at him, getting comfortable.

Nazar was exhausted beyond words, but Amir's voice was so musical that he forced himself to stay awake.

“Well, for starters, my life goals were crushed. Then I got lost on an alien planet and got my ring stolen, and now I’m being housed by a beautiful stranger. Lots to take in,” Amir sighs, turning fully towards Nazar. “Frankly, I’m surprised I’m still sane.”

"Nah, I think you're losing it of you think _i'm_ beautiful." He laughs.  
"How were your life goals crushed?"

“I’ve always wanted to be ruler of my planet,” Amir says quietly. “I guess... I wanted to prove I could be more than the little runt prince everyone always told me I was. I had big plans and they almost succeeded, but someone ruined them. I abandoned my plans and came here. The only good thing that came out of that was meeting you.”

"Hold on, hold on, hold on. PRINCE?! You're _actually_ a PRINCE! I just called you that as a nickname!! Cause you carry yourself so-  
Seven Hells, YOU'RE A PRINCE. AND YOU'RE LIVING IN MY DUMP OF A PLACE?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE! I COULD'VE- OH MY F- YOU'RE A PRINCE?!"  
Nazar rambled, shooting up from his spot on the ground, all traces of exhaustion gone.

Amir giggles at Nazar, eyes sparkling. “I don’t mind, Nazar. I don’t want you to treat me any differently than you would anyone else.” _Which is strange, because you’re the only person who I’ve genuinely cared about._

Nazar blushes deeply at the sparkling golden eyes. He flops back down on the floor and hides his face in his hands and groans loudly. 

"Explains why you can't read a _map._ I thought you Royal folk knew everything though." Nazar mumbled, although he figured not much of what he said was heard because his hands were still pressed against his face.

“Stop doing that,” Amir murmurs, teaming over to take Nazar’s hands in his own and pull them away from his face.

Nazar gives the boy hovering over him a hard glare and covers his face again, not budging when Amir tugs at his wrists. 

After a bit of tugging Nazar relents and lets his hands be pulled away. Amir was smirking down at him victoriously.  
_I could lean up and kiss him._ he thought.  
He expelled the traitorous thought immediately. 

"Why does your family, or whoever, not like you because you're little? You're pretty tough, ring or not. And you're smart if you were gonna get what you wanted. If it wasn't for that other person, of course. So why do they say those awful things?" Nazar whispered. "Is it because they think you're easier to pick on cause you're an Officer of Love~?" He snickered. He honestly _can't_ get over that.

Amir glares at Nazar before answering seriously, “I don’t know. I’m the youngest out of twelve siblings, so I suppose they’ve had plenty of opportunities to...” He trails off, a little upset. “You know what, never mind. How about you? How did you get to where you are?”

Nazar was curious. He wanted to know more about the little prince in his bed. He wanted to know about his home planet and his favorite books. He wants to know about his family and what he would do when he finally has power over them. Nazar has no doubt that he'll get what he wants. Amir has drive, motivation. He's smart and a fast learner.  
But of he didn't want to say, Nazar wasn't going to pry. 

"Me? There's not much to say. I didn't always live here. I used to live on a beautiful planet. Green grass, trees that almost touched the pink sky. I had seven little sisters, with hair as black as night. Everything was great. But then my powers developed. And when you get powers, you can't always control them. So I would imagine up big scary things and they would take form. I would shake people's hands and get them to do what I asked. I didn't know I could do these things, I was 8 at the time. But my parents thought I was dangerous, and rather than kill me, they left me here to die. But, I'm a spiteful asshole. So I'm surviving."

Nazar concluded, folding his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He could feel past anger bubble up in his gut, but he extinguished it. Old scars, past anger, not important.

"Anyways. I learned how to be a thief. Taught myself how to read, write, and fight. It wasn't always so bad. There used to be an old woman who took care of me when I first got here. She taught me how to cook and how to dress my wounds. But, yeah..... It's not the best story, sorry." Nazar laughed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Amir says, leaning back against the wall. He can’t help the small chuckle that escapes his mouth. “I guess we both have shitty pasts.”

"Guess so." Nazar whispers. "We have kick ass powers though." He smiles at the other boy

“Hm,” Amir hums in agreement, smiling back at Nazar. “Can I...” Amir trails off, unsure of himself for once. _Shit. Can’t take that back._

"Go ahead." Nazar answered, almost immediately. He trusted Amir. For the short time they knew each other, it's astonishing. Nazar should be beside himself, telling himself that there's no _way_ you can trust someone that much after a day of knowing them. But he can't bring himself to listen, or care.

Amir purses his lips in resolve and crawls to the edge of the lump of blankets that was Nazar’s bed. He leans forward and hovers inches in front of his new partner’s face, giving him time to lean away if he wanted. He doesn’t, so Amir closes the gap and presses his lips gently against Nazar’s. It only lasts a second, and Amir finds himself leaning away before he wants to so he doesn’t make Nazar uncomfortable. There’s a blush coating both of their cheeks.

Nazar cracks open one of his eyes and looks at the blonde boy hovering over him. His whole body freezes and he holds his breath. Amir gently presses his warm lips to his own.  
_So this is a dream. This is a fever dream. This isn't really happening._ he tries to convince himself as he kisses back. Amir pulled back and there was a pretty pink blush dusting his cheeks. His freckles seemed to glow brighter, and Nazar wanted to kiss each one.

"That was nice, but you didn't have to do that out of obligation, or something." Nazar smiled, feeling his own blush on his cheeks.

“Not everything I do is out of obligation or manipulation, Nazar,” Amir chuckles. There’s a soaring in his heart and Amir realizes he’s in love. He’s in love with a boy he just met _hours_ ago.

_Stars, I want to kiss him again._

"Well, if that's the case," Nazar purred and surged forward, capturing the golden boys lips with his own again. 

Nazars head spinned and twirled. He tasted like butter, and his skin was as soft as feathers.

Amir closes his eyes and kisses back eagerly, reassured that Nazar _does_ want him. He brings his hands to brush the sides of Nazar’s face, tracing his scar with his left hand.

Nazars skin tingled where Amir tenderly brushed his scar. He giggled against this lips, rubbing their noses together.

Amir smiles when he feels Nazar’s breath come out in puffs against his lips and hears the gleeful sound of his giggling. He leans forward more, and Nazar lowers himself backwards into the floor.

Amir's practically laying on top of him, but not uncomfortably. He's so small that he doesn't think that it could ever be uncomfortable.

Nazar gently places his hands on Amir's hips, as the Golden Boy attacks his lips with passionate kisses that Nazar accepts happily. He pulls away slightly as he feels Amir's tongue probe around his canines.

“Something wrong?” Amir asks, leaning back too.

"nothing, I just have sharp teeth. I don't want you to cut your-!!" Nazar was immediately cut off by Amir swirling his tongue over his teeth.  
Nazars eyes rolled to the back of his head as he tried to keep up with him.  
Amir softly tugged on his hair and Nazar damn near _moaned._

His heart was banging against his chest like he just ran a lap around the entire city. Hes senses we're full of one thing: _Amir._  
His touch, his taste his smell. Everything. And Nazar wanted it all.

Amir attacks Nazar’s lips, tongue lapping at Nazar’s mouth. He can feel how sharp his canines are and smirks, a few ideas running through his head. He decides to leave that for another day.

“I’ll be careful,” Amir purrs dangerously. “And a small reminder: don’t tell me what to do.”

"I didn't tell you what to do, I was just looking out for you!" Nazar sighs, trying to get some air back into his deprived lungs. 

Nazar quickly flips their positions so that Amir is under him. He kisses along his jaw and bites his neck, sucking roughly. Enjoying the cries coming from under him. Coming from _Amir._

That spurred so many different fantasies in Nazars head, but not tonight. That's _way_ too soon.

Amir moans as Nazar begins biting along his jaw and neck, tilting his head to the side to give him more space. It feels _amazing_ , and sends electricity down his spine in a way Jon never did, even when they had sex.

“Oh- hmm,” Amir gasps, arching into Nazar.

When Amir arches into him, they fit together perfectly. Like two puzzle pieces.  
Two puzzle pieces that everyone threw out or stomped on. 

Nazar kissed Amir deeply. "Don't we have to wake up early in the morning?" He chuckled softly, pulling away.

Amir relaxes back into the floor. “We do, huh?” he says with a smirk. “That’s too bad. I was just starting to enjoy myself...”

Nazar smirked back and looked at the rather large hickey he placed on Amir's neck. He massaged it with his thumb.  
"Well if finding your ring wasn't my biggest priority, I'd let entertain you _till_ the morning. And maybe some after that."

“Your first priority, hm?” Amir says, holding up his ring he just snatched from Nazar’s pocket.

Nazar felt his face go hot.  
_When did he-?!_  
Amir's arms snaked around his shoulders, "Get to entertaining then." He smirked.

"Will do, Officer Love." Nazar chuckled.  
Amir just groaned and rolled his eyes.


	3. Yellow for Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catchy as Amir  
> Zara as Nazar
> 
> [Villain Amir art gallery](https://photos.app.goo.gl/wcvVZU4B2WOWvLJu1)  
> [Nazar art gallery](https://photos.app.goo.gl/2pxfre8WfyADRwak2)

Nazar woke up to sunlight streaming in on his face. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. A movement beside him caused him to go rigid. He snapped his head down and saw a tuft of blonde hair nestling closer to him.  
He chuckled and placed and arm over Amir's bare shoulders. 

Nazar lazily traced Amir's birthmarks with the tips of his fingers, sighing contentedly. It was only 12 hours ago that he met the love of his life. And they're _cuddling_ on his floor! It seems like a feverish dream. A dream he doesn't want to wake up from.

Nazar toyed with a coil of Amir's hair, and Amir stirred, putting his fist under his chin. Nazar eyed the purple ring that contrasted harshly with his pale skin.  
_But everything good comes to an end, doesn't it?_  
Amir is a prince. A prince on a planet that isn't this dump. A prince that has to go home.  
_How long did you really think it was gonna last, Nazar? Someone smiled at you and you became attached. As per usual. Not to mention he's a prince. What's back prince gonna do with a street rat like you?_ A mean little voice said in his head.  
His chest constricted as he looked down at the slumbering boy.

Amir’s eyelids slid open slowly when he felt Nazar’s heart aching. Amir smiles at him, hoping hoping to make him feel better. He smiles back, but the aching doesn’t go away.

“So,” Amir purrs, bringing one of his hands up to hold Nazar’s. “Pirates, hm?”

Nazar let's Amir hold his hand. He runs his thumb along his soft skin.  
_Use today to say goodbye. Use tomorrow to mourn. Use the next day to be stronger._

"Pirates. Evil incarnate. Thieves that know no bounds. Steal from them, and you go down as a _legend." Nazar sighs almost dreamily._

_Amir picks up on the bit of longing in Nazar's voice and chuckles. "Let's make you a legend, then."_

_Amir let's go of Nazar's hand to stretch, rolling out the tenseness in his muscles. "Aahh," he mewls, relaxing once more. When he opens his eyes, Nazar is staring at him._

_"What?"_

"You act like a cat." Nazar chuckles, brushing back Amir's bangs and kissing his forehead.  
"I always wanted a cat, but the strays never stayed too long." He added offhandedly.  
They needed to go home. 

Nazar feels his stomach drop again, and he got up; hunting for his pants that amir flung in some random part of the room last night.  
He shrugged on his pants and held out his hand to help Amir stand. 

Amir leans up and kisses Nazar on the lips once he's standing before leaning away after a while, smiling with satisfaction. "This prince expects a good morning kiss every day, darling." 

"As you wish." Nazar smirked, capturing Amir's lips with his own again.  
Nazar felt like he was intoxicated. His head was spinning, his heart was soaring. He was so _happy._

_Too attached. Too attached. Too attached._ he head screamed at him. 

Amir pulled away and giggled before putting his warm lips back on his. Nazar conveniently told his head to shut up, as he wrapped his arms around Amir's waist and pulled him impossibly closer. 

Amir hums happily into the kiss, returning Nazar's embrace. He leans back after a while, a blissful smile on his face. He pulls away completely, activates his ring uniform, and turns back to Nazar. "When do we leave?" 

"After _I_ get dressed since I don't have a fancy ring to do it for me." Nazar laughed, licking his lips. 

Nazar throws a bag at Amir, who catches it easily.  
"Can you fill that with food while I get ready? It's gonna be a long trek to the docks." 

"Of course," Amir says, turning to Nazar's "kitchen". It isn't so much a kitchen as a closed of section of the room dedicated to storing stolen food. Amir tosses some fruits, breads, and dried meats into the bag and ties it at the top. 

~0~ 

Nazar and Amir ducked on top of a roof and watched the boats bob in the water, merchants are packing up their belongings after a long day in the heat.  
"See the ship with the black sails?" Nazar whispered to Amir. Amir nodded his head.  
"That's the ship we want to sneak on." Nazar smirked, almost giddy. 

Deadman's Passage.  
He's always wanted to be a part of their crew. Sail and see places he's never seen. Sing sea shanties. Pirates life and all that. 

But they didn't take too well to stowaways.  
Nazar nervously scratched at his scar. 

You had to _earn_ a place on the ship. 

And that's exactly what he's going to do. 

"Do we have a plan? Other than sneak onto the pirate ship, I mean," Amir whispers back. 

"Take anything you want, but we're looking for an amulet. Silver chain, roses decorating the side of it. It's a maroon color. It belonged to the captain's daughter. She died at sea, or she was kidnapped. I don't remember how the story goes. But you take that from the captain, and he'll give you anything you want." Nazar smiled, just the _thought_ of the old captain kneeling in front of him, asking for the last memory of his daughter back, promising he'll be welcomed onto the crew with open arms. That sent a chill down his spine.  
That old man will regret giving him his scar. 

"The amulet is in the captain's Chambers. Very very deep into the ship. We cannot make a _single_ sound. I'll do the sneaking and the lock picking. But can you watch my back? Make sure no one's sneaking up on me?" Nazar asked Amir. He could feel a fire blazing in his eyes. He _needed_ Amir for this.  
Just this.  
Then he'll let him go.  
He'll watch him fly away to his home planet.  
To his kingdom.  
To another prince worthy of him.  
Not a street rat whose only higher position is pirate. 

Amir nods solemnly. He can tell how much this means to Nazar. "I'll do my best." 

And he will. He'd go to the ends of the universe and back for Nazar. It's a new feeling. A sort of selflessness; a willingness to do whatever it takes to make sure Nazar is happy. Amir welcomes it with open arms. 

"Alright then, let's go!" Nazar grinned as he drew the hood up on Amir's cloak. 

_Still too attached._

Nazar jumped down and made his way quickly to the boat, making sure there were no prying eyes tracking his movements. Amir landed softly next to him.  
"Think you can give me a boost?" Nazar whispered. Amir nodded and wrapped his arms under Nazars armpits and flew them to the very quiet deck.  
They snuck their way up to the captain's cabin. Nazar looked into the small window. There was the old pirate. Gray-er now than he was when he gave Nazar his scar, but it was him, nonetheless.  
He was writing, or perhaps he was mapping.  
Whatever it was, he was awake. And there was no way he would be able to bust in without him alerting his entire crew.  
"We need a distraction. Something that will get him out so we can go in." Nazar whispered to Amir. 

"Can you cast an illusion?" comes Amir's hushed reply. "Maybe some smoke or fog on the deck of the ship to cause some confusion?" 

Nazar immediately perked up.  
"You're a genius!" Nazar smiled and he focused on the bottom deck, where the crew were sound asleep.  
Nazar placed his hands on the floor and concentrated on their thoughts.  
Just then smoke and fire seemed to be spreading across the sleeping quarters of the crew.  
Some men even shrieked and tossed themselves overboard because they thought their skin was burning off. Nazar had to chuckle at that. 

The door to the cabin was flung open. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON!" The captain bellowed. No one responded to him as he raced to the center of the deck. Nazar chuckled and moved into the cabin.  
He quickly found the chest that stored the captain’s most prized possession, and pocketed it.  
There was another necklace that Nazar pocked as well.  
Life of a thief. 

"Amir!" Nazar whispered, smiling, "Let’s get out of here!" 

Amir picks Nazar up by the arms once more and flies off into the sky, watching the chaos below with amusement. "That was easy," he remarks to Nazar beside him, grinning. 

"Wasn't it?!" Nazar laughs, willing the illusion to stop.  
He cannot _wait_ to see the looks on their faces to know that the boy they beat all those years ago beat them at their own game. 

Amir observes as the illusion fades gradually. "Impressive," Amir says with a glance down at Nazar. "That was a pretty big illusion. And with _fire_ too!" 

A few of the pirates who were on lookout on the crow's nest leaped without a second thought and grabbed onto Nazar's leg. By the third person, Amir was being dragged back down onto the boat. As they crash back onto the deck, Amir lets go of Nazar and shoots up into a ready stance, fighting back as many pirates as he could. He sweeps a few overboard with a light construct, then focuses on the ones fighting Nazar, all while stumbling to get back to him so they could get out of there. 

Nazar hit the deck head first. Everything was spinning and his ears were ringing. The only thing he could make out was purple lights coming from Amir. Nazar got to his knees and his stomach lurched, it took him all of his power not to vomit all over the deck. 

Amir yelps as he feels a collar being snapped around his neck and reaches for it, unsuccessfully attempting to tug it off. It sparks, then Amir's body is seized by thousands of electrical currents at once. He screams, muscles locking in their place where he's standing. The shocking ceases long enough for Amir to fall to the wooden floor, but then it starts once more and he's screaming again, unable to do anything other than bear the pain. 

Nazar shook his head as if to try to shake the nausea and the spinning of his head. But then he heard a yelp and a scream. I didn't really sound like a scream, but more like a harsh scrape of a violins strings. 

_Amir!_

Nazar leaped up, his vision still blurring, but he couldn't focus on that. Not with Amir being tortured.  
His heart banged against his ribcage as he snarled at the Captain of the ship.  
"Let him go!" Nazar howled. 

He was in no shape to fight. But he didn't care. He'd give his life for Amir's. At least it would be worth something that way. 

The Captain smirked, "Don't I know you from somewhere, lad?" 

"I said let him go!" he roared, fury, hate, and frustration coiling in his chest. 

Nazars heart raced faster than it's ever beat. He couldn't tear his eyes off of Amir. On the deck of the floor, screaming his lungs out. 

Nazar was _scared._  
For the first time in a long time.  
He was _terrified._  
And it was for the safety of someone _else._

"Take off your hood, boy," the captain ordered. 

"Take the collar off the blonde boy and we have an accord," Nazar snapped back. 

The captain laughed, and his crew laughed with him. It was supposed to unnerve him. But it pissed him off to no end.  
Nazar grabbed the pirate closest to him and jabbed his dagger into his throat and let him fall to the ground in a miserable heap, choking on his own blood. 

"I'm not joking, so I fail to see what you all are laughing about." Nazar sneered. 

The captain still just looked amused, watching his previous crew member die a pathetic death. He waved his hand and Amir's screams stopped, and he lay motionless against the deck. 

Nazar choked back a sob and a scream. Fought back the urge to sprint to Amir and take him in his arms and run far far away. He longed to listen to his heart beat. Other pirates snapped the collar off of him, and threw it far away. 

Nazar took a deep breath and took off his hood, glaring at the Captain in the eye. 

"I _thought_ I recognized you! You're that boy! The _stowaway_ from all those years ago!" 

Nazar remained silent, focusing only on if he could see Amir's back rise and fall. 

"All grown up, aintcha?" The pirate gave a chuckle. "Still stupid as shit. Got cocky, didn'tcha? Wanted to see the old gray pirate boiling mad when ye ran off with his loot, eh?" 

"Something like that." Nazar smirked. 

"But you didn't want anything. You wanted my _prized possession. You wanted to see me give you access to whatever ya little heart desired. You probably wanted a space on the crew, didn'tcha?" The captain drawled.  
"Now, _boy, give me what you've stolen and i'll consider letting you live."__

"How about I give you back what I've stolen, and I leave with the blonde boy. In return, you get to keep your crew." Nazar hissed. 

The captain laughed, "One of you against 10 of us? Please, boy. You're overestimating yourself again." 

Nazar glared at the captain and the two men standing next to him collapsed, failing to gasp for air. 

"Am I, _Captain?" he sneered again. Two other men started to scream at the top of their lungs, clawing and scratching at their skin until they were bleeding. One of them even took his sword and started cutting away at himself.  
"Good help is hard to find around these parts."_

"ALRIGHT!" The captain bellowed, Nazar stopped his illusions.  
"Give me my daughters necklace." 

"Give me the boy first." Nazar demanded, holding out the necklace. 

The captain nodded his head, and one of the last surviving crew members deposited Amir in his arms. Nazar pressed his ear to his chest and heard his heart beating loud and strong.  
He let out a sigh of relief, and threw the amulet to the captain. 

He left the ship without another word, quickly running off into the night. 

He didn't run off too far though. He wanted to see the look on the Captain's face when he realized that Nazar gave him the other necklace. 

Nazar laughed and ran off further into the city when he heard an outraged roar come from the pirate. 

____~ 0 ~_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Nazar found a decent rooftop in a nearby city that was far away from the pirates, but close enough to the shore line. He settled a still unconscious Amir in his lap, draping his hood across his body._ _ _ _

_Well, at least when he gets angry at you for almost killing him and leaves, it'll be easier to get over him, right?_ Nazar thought. He glanced down to the slumbering boy, and ran a hand through his silky golden curls. 

_No. No it won’t. Leaving him won’t ever be easy on you._

He loved Amir. More than there are stars in the sky. More than there are planets in the universe. He loved him. And it's _ridiculous!_ He's a prince and deserves so much more! So much more than he can offer! But why can't Nazar just realize that?! Why does he keep on forcing Amir into his thoughts? Into his heart?! He's gone the past several years without any kind of love. He should be immune to it by now. He should be used to being alone. 

_But Amir._  
Amir just crashed into his world, turned it upside down. Filled Nazar with something that he couldn’t put his finger on.  
Yes he could.  
He made Nazar happy. The happiest he's ever been. The happiest he’s ever experienced.(edited)  
Half of Nazar wanted to get up and start walking back to his home. The other half forced himself to stay. To endure the heartbreak when he left.  
It's just something else he needs to learn how to survive.  
And if Nazar knew he was good at one thing, it was survival.  
Nazar fished out the pirate amulet from his pocket, without stirring Amir too much.  
It was beautiful, simple. There was no rust on it, but no indication that it had been worn either. The inside contained nothing but a few dried rose petals.  
it sparkled and gleamed in the moonlight.  
This was the biggest thing that Nazar has ever stolen.  
The Prized Pirate Treasure as it was nicknamed. 

Nazar carefully unclasped it and put it around Amir’s neck.  
The prince probably had a million different jewels and necklaces, much finer than this old thing. But he hoped that he would keep it when he went back. He hoped that Amir would look at it and remember that street rat he spent the night with. 

He doubted it.  
Amir would probably throw it away as soon as he found another prince truly worthy of him. And then he would forget all about Nazar. 

____He didn't belong in Amir's thoughts anyways._ _ _ _

____Amir wakes surrounded by warmth. He cracks open his eyes wearily, hoping they weren't captured back on the ship, and sighs in relief when he sees Nazar and the night sky above them. His head is in Nazar's lap, and the taller boy is cradling his body close as if he had almost died._ _ _ _

_I did. I almost died,_ Amir realizes with a jolt. 

____Amir tilts his head to look at Nazar. He seems lost in thought._ _ _ _

____"Hey," Amir whispers, observing Nazar with half lidded eyes. He raises a hand to stroke Nazar's cheek with a feather-light touch._ _ _ _

____Nazars eyes snapped open and he glanced down, unconsciously leaning into the touch.  
"Hey! Don't try to move too much. Your muscles are still weak," he commanded._ _ _ _

____"Hm." Amir chuckles, refusing to bring his hand down. "I've had worse."_ _ _ _

____Nazar chuckles, grabbing Amir's outstretched hand and intertwining their fingers.  
"Liar."_ _ _ _

____Amir smiles up at Nazar, furiously in love. He can see every detail of his eyes, and how they sparkle every time Nazar shifts or takes a deep breath. It's amazing. "I suppose I should expect a master illusionist to be able to tell when I'm lying, huh?"_ _ _ _

_______"Yup!" Nazar answers cheerily, kissing Amir's knuckles._  
Might as well do this while he has the chance, right?  
Nazar squeezes Amir's hand.  
"I'm so sorry. For dragging you along. For getting you hurt. For... everything. I’m sorry." Nazar whispered, his heart clenching. 

____"I went along with you willingly, idiot," Amir says softly. "It's not your fault."_ _ _ _

"It is though. I should have never brought you here. I should have just let you go. But I just wanted another day with you. Another adventure with you. Then I _thought_ I could let you go. But... but I can't. I’m selfish." Nazar choked, squeezing his eyes shut. 

_He heard of heartbreak. He's felt pain._  
But the pain induced by heartbreak? It was the most unbearable pain he's ever experienced. It feels like his chest bones are breaking, and a knife is twisting right in the center of his heart. He wants nothing more to take out the dagger in his chest, but... there is no dagger. It's only a feeling.  
Nazar grit his jaw and clenched his fist.  
He hasn't cried since his parents abandoned him on this planet. And he's not about to cry again. No matter how much pain he’s in.  
Adapt.  
Survive.  
He can do this. 

____Amir can feel Nazar's on the verge of tears, and shares the emotion with him, a few tears pooling in his eyes as well even though he's not sure why Nazar is so heartbroken. He has a few guesses, though. Amir squeezes Nazar's hand gently._ _ _ _

____"Nazar? What do you mean?"_ _ _ _

Nazar laughs bitterly. "You're a _prince_ Amir. And i'm... i'm... I'm nobody. I'm someone who will get in your way. I'm practically always getting you killed. I'm a constant fuck up. You don't deserve _any_ of that. You deserve someone who will protect you. Someone that is smart and has palaces to offer you, and jewels and... just.... things that I can't even imagine up!" 

Nazar heaves a shaky breath, refusing to meet Amir's beautiful bright eyes, "I'm not worthy of you. And I never will be. I love you with all my heart, and then some. But I.... You're too _perfect_ to be with someone like me." 

"Well you were right about one thing," Amir says with a grin. "I _am_ perfect. Everything else was inaccurate." 

____The prince sits up with a little bit of effort, and looks directly into Nazar's eyes. "I love you too. And I want you to be mine. Until the end of our days," he declares, eyes bright. "I want you to come to my home planet with me."_ _ _ _

____Nazar had to laugh at Amir.  
"Did you not just hear my whole speech about me not deserving you, or did you decide to take a quick power nap and woke up when I called you perfect?"He shifted himself so that Amir was sitting in his lap, his arms draped around his shoulders._ _ _ _

____"I heard you alright," Amir says, pulling himself closer to Nazar. "Just decided to ignore it. We love each other, Nazar. Shouldn't we be able to spend the rest of our lives together and not go through unnecessary heartbreak?"_ _ _ _

____Nazar looked down at his lap, unsure of what to say. How is Amir choosing him? How does Amir want to love him?_ _ _ _

____“Nazar, darling. Look at me,” Amir says, cupping Nazar’s chin with his hands and tilting his head so he’s looking at him. “Leave with me.”_ _ _ _

It’s more of a demand than a request. _It’s not like Nazar could say “no” even if he wanted to._

____Nazar looked into Amir’s eyes, they were filled with love and the promise of a new start. He relished in the warmth on his cheeks._ _ _ _

____"No." He said flatly._ _ _ _

____It's not like Nazar really wanted to say no. He just wanted to see Amir's reaction. If he could really handle his stubbornness._ _ _ _

____Amir was so sure Nazar would accept. It caught Amir so off guard he was rendered speechless for a moment. He’d only been refused a few times in his life, but even then, he still got what he wanted._ _ _ _

____“...No?! What do you mean, ‘no’??”_ _ _ _

____Nazar willed his face to remain still and not laugh at Amir gaping like a beached fish._ _ _ _

____"No. As in I'm not going with you. This is my home."_ _ _ _

____"Do you not know what the meaning of no is? What do they teach you in your Royal Academy?"_ _ _ _

“Wh- I-“ Amir has to pause for another moment to gain his bearings. “Your home?! No offense- actually, _full offense_! Your ‘home’ is a _dump_! Where I live, you’ll be treated like royalty!” 

"No Amir. _You'll_ be treated like royalty. Because, you know what? YOU'RE ACTUALLY ROYALTY! Im just something you picked up on your travels. Say I did come back with you. Wouldn't your people have _something_ to say about me? A boy that was abandoned by his family because he's a freak of nature at age 8, doesn't really know much about anything further than survival skills; being with the crowned prince, about to take the throne. Someone _has_ to be opposed to that. And what if... what if they don't let you? What if they just throw me back into the dump where I belong? What then, Amir?" Nazar asked. 

____He truly loved Amir. He wanted to love Amir till the end of his days. He certainly didn't want to be cast away, like a broken toy that Amir had no use for._ _ _ _

“They won’t,” Amir says confidently. “I won’t let them. And even if they don’t like you, _I’ll_ love you. Isn’t that enough?” 

____Nazar sighed, "I just want to keep you safe, Amir. Although I don't suppose me saying anything will convince you to leave me here?"  
He smiled at Amir, he could see the sun rising behind his head, almost making it look like his golden hair was a halo._ _ _ _

“Damn right it won’t,” Amir says. “You’re coming with me, and you’re gonna _like it_.” 

Nazar sighed dramatically, "Well, _your highness,_ looks like you've won this argument. I'll go and live the rest of my life with you, if you'll have me." 

_____Really? That easy...?_ _ _ _ _

____“Of course I’ll have you!”_ _ _ _

_____Wait._ _ _ _ _

“You _asshole_!! You were acting this whole time??” 

____"Me? A master illusionist? Acting? Mmmmmm partly." Nazar grinned, tilting his head up , making it easier for Amir to kiss him._ _ _ _

____“You aren’t getting any kisses for a good thirty minutes,” Amir says, pouting slightly._ _ _ _

____"Thirty minutes? Isn't that a little extreme? Shouldn't I get a kiss for pulling a fast one over the Perfect Prince Amir?" Nazar smirked, resting his chin against Amir's shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of Amirs neck._ _ _ _

____“Mm, I think not,” Amir murmurs, allowing Nazar to hug him even closer. “By the way, what’s this necklace? It’s...” Amir catches himself before he says “hideous.”_ _ _ _

____“...interesting.”_ _ _ _

____"It's the amulet I stole from the pirate captain. He was torturing you and the only way I got him to stop was if I gave him back his daughters amulet. I gave him another necklace I stole off of him and willed it to look like his daughters. So. I got you, gave him the fake one, hauled ass, and now he's set a bounty out for my head." Nazar grinned._ _ _ _

____"I... uh.... figured you would just go to your home planet without me.... So I wanted to give you something.... to hopefully remind you of our adventures together." Nazar mumbled as he drew his hood further over his face._ _ _ _

____"That's sweet," Amir says with a smile. "You're still not getting any kisses, though."_ _ _ _

____Nazar leans back on his palms, "now you're just being mean." He laughs._ _ _ _

____Amir chuckles, then falls into silence for a little._ _ _ _

____"...Do you want to say goodbye to anyone before we leave?"_ _ _ _

____"Don't have anyone to say goodbye to." Nazar smiled sadly._ _ _ _

____"Right," Amir replies. "Just checking."_ _ _ _

____Amir wills a violet bubble to appear around Nazar and lifts off into the sky._ _ _ _

____"Hold tight. We'll be there soon."_ _ _ _

____"Lead the way, handsome," Nazar laughs, his heart beating in anticipation and excitement._ _ _ _


End file.
